life cycle assesment

The concept of "environmentally friendly" products or "green products" has gained a lot of attention in recent years. As a way of determining which of two equivalent products causes less pollution and environmental impact, an analysis called the Product Life Cycle Analysis (PLCA, or LCA for short) can been used. The LCA can also be a critical component of an EMS. Discuss the history, concepts and major components of LCA. Develop LCA diagrams for a particular simple product, such as diapers, cans, light bulbs, etc.. The goal of this exercise is to apply lifecycle thinking to a simple product and map out all inputs and outputs and identify the potential environmental impacts of each lifecycle stage. You are advised to look up information on manufacturing and materials used in the product lifecycle, but you are not required to present any quantitative information – for example I don’t expect you to tell me how many watts it takes to manufacture an aluminum can. This is a qualitative exercise.